


Thorns Have Roses

by heartscanvas



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Im Nayeon x fem!reader, Im Nayeon x reader, Jane Austen - Freeform, LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQIA+, Nayeon x fem!reader, Nayeon x reader, TWICE x Reader, Twice x fem!reader, fem!reader - Freeform, jane austen retelling, lgbtqia, modern Jane Austen, modern Jane Austen retelling, modern Pride and Prejudice retelling, modern pride and prejudice, pride and prejudice - Freeform, pride and prejudice retelling, saida, x Reader, x fem!reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:53:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24208513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartscanvas/pseuds/heartscanvas
Summary: In this modern Pride and Prejudice retelling, Y/N had heard from her best friend Sana that they were going to get a new volunteer at the library. But little did she know that new volunteer was the famous singer Im Nayeon's daughter, and she would just have to learn to deal with her mother's diva antics all throughout the girl's time working there. And she certainly didn't know she would learn about the family's deepest, darkest secrets along the way.
Relationships: Im Nayeon/Reader, Kim Dahyun/Minatozaki Sana
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

It is a truth universally acknowledged that volunteers were to libraries what soldiers were to their countries. 

It was and always had simply been the case that there was too much work to be done- too many books to shelf, too many shelves to order, too many hours of work, work, work for their small team of faculty.

So volunteers were cherished like angels- if angels were to do such tedious tasks as organizing every book by someone with the last name Smith. 

Y/N had heard from her friend Sana that she had convinced someone new to volunteer. She could have interrogated the girl for more information, but she didn't really need it- volunteers would be treated like cherubs, regardless of gender, race, age, sexuality- anything. She didn't know when they were coming or where they were from, only that they were friends with Sana's new girlfriend- or almost girlfriend. But that was a whole other issue. 

She sighed as she checked out one of  _ The Mortal Instruments _ books for a girl who looked about fourteen. She didn't have time to be worrying about her friend's love life, yet here she was.

If she was honest, she didn't see the point in dating. Not because she was immune to romance- her reading history clearly showed this was not the case- but because she couldn't see herself compromising for anyone just because they made her feel things. Sana said she just hadn't felt those things intensely enough, but she doubted anyone was really worth that.

When a woman in a mask strided inside and toward the counter with who Y/N assumed was her daughter in tow, she faked a smile and asked, "How can I help you?" She glanced at the large purse that the woman was carrying, which looked like it could hold a mass market paperback or two. "Returning books?" 

The woman grabbed her daughter by the arm, so she'd stop hiding behind her and said, "My daughter's going to be volunteering here."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. She couldn't remember ever seeing the duo there before, but surely she would recall a volunteer and their mom. "Have you done the paperwork?"

The woman frowned deeply and placed her purse on the counter, grabbing a pen from inside. "Where do I have to sign?" she grumbled.

Y/N turned around to find the right paperwork and told her, "It's actually a bit more extensive than that." Once she found one of the packets, she turned back around and handed it to her. "You can feel free to sit down. We have some seats in the kids' section."

The woman stared at her in distaste, but she took it and started walking toward the kids’ section. After a few steps, she halted and glanced behind her to see her daughter was not following. She gestured for her to come, and the girl obeyed, although her face was hardly thrilled. 

Y/N tried not to let it phase her. She could handle a rude mom- it was the girl volunteering who mattered. And, while she didn’t seem overly enthusiastic, not every volunteer had to be, especially not when they were filling out the paperwork. 

They scurried their way back over while she was checking out  _ Evelyn Hugo  _ for a girl in her mid-twenties. “Enjoy. That’s a good one,” she said as she handed the book back over to her. The girl quietly thanked her and nervously stepped out of the way of the mother-daughter duo when she turned around and saw them standing behind her. Y/N hoped the girl was just nervous and not that she’d looked into the depths of the glower on the mother’s face. 

The woman handed the paperwork over without a word, and Y/N quickly glanced over it, placing it on a stack of papers once she was through with it. “Alright. I’ll just need to see some form of ID, and, then, we can process this,” she said.

The woman grimaced with a sigh but put her purse on the counter to dig through it. When she pulled out her driver’s license and handed it over, she pulled her mask down but only for a second. “ _ Don’t say a word _ .” 

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows as she glanced down at the license. Her jaw fell slack when she read the name Im Nayeon. She had thought the woman looked and even sounded familiar, but she had never expected that. 

“W-when would you like Yun to start?” she asked nervously and patted her pockets, wondering if she had put any of her cards inside. She found a stack of them in a little, clear box on the counter. “H-here’s my card. It has my email in case you ever need to reach me,” she stammered, holding it out for Nayeon to take.

She pushed her hand away, a look nowhere short of disgust in her eyes. “I won’t be needing it,” she told her, retracting her hand to pull her daughter in front of her. “And she’ll be starting today.”

“Today?” Y/N asked, blinking. She silently put her card back with the others in its box. “We haven’t even processed the paperwork yet.”

“Can’t you process it now?” Nayeon asked, tapping her foot and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well, I suppose, but-”

“But what? What’s stopping you?” Nayeon raised a perfectly drawn eyebrow, and Y/N had nothing to say to that. 

She pursed her lips and mumbled, “Wait here for just a moment, alright?”

Nayeon rolled her eyes and gestured for her to get to it. Y/N scurried over to the back room where her coworker Momo was putting books on a cart. “Momo, can you do me a quick favor?” she pleaded, folding her hands in front of her face and everything. 

“You know what you need to say to get me to do what you want,” Momo pointed out, arms akimbo. 

“Jokbal on me?” Y/N guessed. 

Momo nodded and told her, “Shoot.”

“Can you process this volunteer’s paperwork for me?” Y/N asked. She would do it herself, but she didn’t know how. That wasn’t exactly part of her job description.

“That’s all?” Momo pushed the cart out of her way, so she could follow Y/N out and to the computer. “You could’ve gotten me to do that for free. No taking back the free jokbal though.” 

She smiled unknowingly up at Nayeon and Yun before taking the packet and getting to work. Y/N watched the computer, but she couldn’t follow the steps Momo was taking and glanced back up at the mother and daughter, hoping she didn’t look as confused as she felt. 

“And… there you go,” Momo said. Her last click had a tone of finality to it. “Let me know if you need anything else,” she told Y/N, heading back to the back room and her cart. 

“Alright. You’re all set to start volunteering now,” Y/N said, clicking out of the page Momo had been on. 

“You’re ready to do this, right?” Nayeon asked Yun, who nodded slowly. She was still frowning but pretended to smile as her mom slung her purse over her shoulder and started walking away toward the front entrance. “I’ll be back in two hours,” she called over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. 

“Can I go to the bathroom before we get started?” Yun asked, shifting on her feet in clear discomfort. 

Y/N nodded and smiled, trying to get one back and failing miserably as Yun merely chewed on her lip. “Of course. There’s one over there,” she said, pointing to the left corner of the room where there was a restroom and water fountain. 

“Thank you,” Yun murmured and started heading in that direction, weaving between bookshelves and clients perusing them on her way. 

Y/N walked into the back room, hands over her face. “You would not  _ believe _ what just happened,” she told Momo, who raised an eyebrow. 

“A lady and her daughter asked you if you could process her volunteer paperwork,” Momo said. “It’s nothing to write home about.”

“That  _ lady _ ,” Y/N spoke, “was  _ Im Nayeon _ .” 

Momo gasped. “The singer? I just choreographed a dance to her latest single!” She craned her neck in an attempt to glance out the door. “She’s not still here is she? I could ask for an autograph.” 

“She’s long gone,” Y/N broke the news to her. Momo pouted, but Y/N contested, “That’s not the point though. She was such a  _ bitch _ .”

“When a woman does it, she’s a bitch,” Momo replied. “When a man does it, he’s a boss.”

“No, Momo. She was  _ actually _ a bitch.” Y/N groaned. Under normal circumstances, she’d agree with Momo. But Nayeon was something else. “She came in here, demanding I process the paperwork she literally just did, so she can drop her daughter off here for the next two hours without even telling the girl goodbye.” 

“Maybe she’s a tough love kinda gal,” Momo said, shrugging. “You can’t act like she doesn’t love her daughter just because she didn’t say goodbye.”

Y/N ran a hand over her face. Did she believe Nayeon didn’t love her daughter? Not necessarily. She knew that was too much to draw from that short interaction with the woman. But did she believe the woman was a bitch for how she just acted? One hundred percent. 

“That’s not even to mention she looked disgusted when I tried giving her my card and wouldn’t even take it just to humor me,” Y/N said.

“I think that’s what you’re really all worked up about.” Momo pushed her cart, now filled with books, out of the room. “She hurt your pride.” 

Y/N followed her out, arms crossed over her chest, about to respond but stopping when she saw Yun at the counter. She stepped forward with a small smile. “You ready to get started?”

“You think my mom’s a bitch,” Yun said, and Y/N winced. She had hoped she hadn’t overheard them and opened her mouth to apologize when Yun spoke up first, “You don’t have to say sorry. I know she is. Probably better than anyone- almost anyone.” She sighed. “But I really don’t feel like talking about her more than we have to. What do you need me to do?”

Y/N blinked. She wasn’t used to a daughter openly agreeing to people calling their mom a swear word, and she was frankly concerned for whoever knew she was a bitch better than Yun. But, then again, she’d heard in the news when she was watching Sana that Nayeon was going through a divorce, so perhaps that explained things. 

“Grab one of those carts and come back here,” Y/N told her, gesturing first to one of the bookshelves where an empty cart rested outside of it and, then, to where the counter ended. Yun immediately grabbed the cart and walked over, following her into the back room with it trailing behind her. “This is where we keep books that need to be reshelved.” Y/N glanced around to find the shelf with the most books and selected one in the middle of the room. “Different shelves are for different age ranges. So this one is for Young Adult.” Wanting to make conversation, she asked, “See any authors you like?”

“I don’t really read very much,” Yun said, and Y/N pursed her lips. Of course any attempt at conversation was bound to fail with this girl. 

“Well, what you want to do is grab a bunch of books off the shelf,” Y/N said, grabbing a couple and placing them on the cart. “Fill up the top row, then organize them by last name. If two books are by authors with the same last name, order them by the author’s first name. And, if they’re by the same author, order them by the starting letter or letters of the title.” She looked at the ones she had just placed on the cart and started reordering them to show her. “So, like with these two books, which are both written by Cassandra Clare, you would order them based on the titles. So  _ City of Ashes _ before  _ City of Bones _ and stuff like that.” 

It was one of those funny times where she knew the books were out of series order and hated the way libraries had to do things but went along with it anyway because this wasn’t her personal collection. She could do whatever she liked with her personal collection. 

“You get it?” Y/N asked as Yun grabbed more and more books off of the shelf and filled the top row of the cart. 

“It’s pretty self explanatory,” Yun said, and Y/N chuckled in pure discomfort.

“I guess it kinda is.” As Yun reorganized the books she had laid out, Y/N added, “And, when you put these guys back on the shelf, you want to check the order of every book on that row of the shelf just in case there are any mistakes.” Yun raised an eyebrow, and she bit her lip and asserted, “It happens more often than you think.”

“Is that all?” Yun asked, hands already on the cart, ready to push it outside.

“Yeah,” Y/N admitted, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “Pretty much.”

“Alright. I’ll get started,” Yun said and left with the books. Y/N went back out to the front counter, signing books in and out with Yun just a quiet presence working in the background. She noticed that the girl kept choosing books from the Young Adult shelf, even if she didn’t read them, and thought to tell her she didn’t have to stick to that specific one but figured it wasn’t a big deal and kept to herself for the most part. 

When she knew her two hours were almost up, Y/N became a bit more daring and poked her head into the back room where Yun was grabbing more books. “So, if you don’t like to read,” she asked, inching her way inside, “what do you like to do?”

Yun dropped the books in her hands onto the cart with little care for how they made it out of the fall. “Why do you want to know?”

Y/N crossed her arms over her chest, then realized it might seem defensive and thought better of it. Her hands dropped to her sides, but her nails bit into her palms as she said, “I like to get to know our volunteers at least a little bit.”

Yun sighed and cocked her head to the side, signalling Y/N to move out of the way of her cart. She considered sticking her ground but gave in. If the girl really didn’t want to tell her, she had no reason to force it out of her. 

She stopped once she was beside Y/N and, seemingly after some deliberation, muttered under her breath, “I like to play Pokemon.” 

Y/N smiled, surprised she’d said anything and happy to hear she had such an innocent hobby. “That sounds really nice,” she commented. 

“You don’t understand,” Yun argued immediately. “I don’t play regular Pokemon. I play competitive.”

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows. “I didn’t know competitive Pokemon was a thing,” she admitted. Yun didn’t seem surprised, but she wasn’t happy either. 

“It’s called VGC,” she said. “I compete in the seniors’ division. Since I’m thirteen.”

Y/N nodded slowly, trying to take all of this information in. “So you compete in tournaments then?” 

She seemed surprised by the question, or maybe she was just surprised the woman really cared to ask. “There are tournaments at the regional, national, and world level,” Yun said, although she started to chew on her lower lip. “But I’ve only won regionals.” 

“Yun!” They both jumped slightly at Nayeon’s voice. Y/N peeked her head outside and saw her standing at the counter, but she was too busy rummaging through her purse to look back. 

“Well, you made it through your first day,” Y/N said with a small sigh, relief coursing through her veins. She took hold of the cart and told her, “I can get Momo to take this for you.”

Yun merely nodded. She stepped toward the door before slowly turning around. “I feel like I should shake your hand or something,” she said.

Y/N laughed and reached out her hand, which Yun took and shook hesitantly. Then, she stepped outside, and Y/N heard bits and pieces of her conversation with her mother. She seemed more bothered by her daughter than anything, heaving a sigh because she made her wait all of two minutes and everything. She found herself waiting until she heard the two leave to push the cart out and call for Momo. 

She wasn’t scared of Nayeon- at least she told herself she wasn’t. She just knew roses have thorns. 


	2. Chapter 2

Y/N sighed as she tried to tune out the radio and listen to where Google Maps was directing her to go. She didn’t even know why she had thrown the radio on and promptly turned it off. It was usually around this time that her friend Sana was on, talking to celebrities about whatever they were there to promote and playing silly games. But Sana wasn’t on tonight- she was at her girlfriend’s house. Or was she her girlfriend? She didn’t know if they had finally tackled that issue yet, but she was supposed to be eating dinner with her and some friends, who apparently weren’t all that friendly. So she had sent Y/N an emergency text, begging her to get her out of there;. 

She had had to wait until Y/N was ready to close up the library, but, besides that, she had little reason to deny the woman. She only questioned why she hadn’t driven herself and took an Uber instead if she hadn’t known she’d want to stay. But perhaps that was unreasonable of her. Sana believed the best of everyone, even when she really, really shouldn’t. 

It didn’t escape her notice that the houses quickly got more and more bourgeois as she got closer to her destination. She knew that this girl was a singer, and she hoped for Sana’s sake that she wasn’t anything like Im Nayeon, although she hadn’t seen the woman since that first day. And Momo still insisted that she give her a chance. “Some people are bad at first impressions,” she said. Clearly, these friends of Dahyun’s were too. 

She had to park on the side of the street by her house because there were too many much more expensive looking cars parked in the driveway. Perhaps that was why Sana chose to take an Uber. She knew her car would look out of place among all of these celebrities’. Y/N hoped that that wasn’t the case, and she just didn’t feel like driving. 

She dropped her keys in her purse and slung it over her shoulder as she walked up to the front door. She knocked quietly, but there was no sign of anyone coming for a minute, so she rang the doorbell. She immediately heard chairs screeching and recognized Dahyun in the window as she came to open the door. 

“You must be Sana’s friend,” she said, smiling brightly. She glanced behind her as Sana came into the hallway and nodded. “The librarian.”

“This is Y/N,” Sana told her. Y/N gave a small wave and shifted uncomfortably on her feet as she saw a man trail in behind Sana. She didn’t like the way he carried himself. It was something in the way he held his shoulders, she thought.

“You’re welcome to stay and chat for a little while,” Dahyun said, despite his presence. “I think we have enough food for you to have a bite to eat too.”

“She wouldn’t understand anything we’re talking about though,” the man said, and, when Y/N got a better look at him, she recognized him as Myung Soo, Dahyun’s brother and fellow singer. “What would a librarian know about the industry?” 

Y/N glared at him. She didn’t like his tone, and she would argue that she knew quite a bit about the industry for a librarian, considering her best friend was a reporter and radio show host. But, even if she didn’t, he was acting like she was stupid, and she most certainly was not. “And what would you know about literature?” she asked, eyebrow raised, even if it wasn’t drawn to perfection. “Do you know anything about Sartre? Or Camus? Perhaps you have something to say about the existential themes in  _ The Stranger _ ?”

Myung Soo’s lip curled in distaste as he stared at her. He turned to Sana and admitted, “I suppose  _ you  _ might understand what we’re talking about. To an extent.” 

Sana opened her mouth to speak, but, before she could say anything, a familiar voice spoke, “Anyone who’s read  _ The Stranger  _ could tell you about the existential themes.”

Y/N turned away from Myung Soo to see Nayeon lingering in the open doorway between the hall and the kitchen. She didn’t seem surprised to see Y/N, but Y/N couldn’t say the same. Her eyes were wide, and she was fighting to keep her jaw from going slack. 

“Oh. You guys already know each other from the library, right?” Sana asked, seeing her friend’s expression. “Nayeon’s daughter is the one I convinced to volunteer for you. Unless Heechul was the one that took her?”

“I took her,” Nayeon said, her tone sharp and biting into Sana like a blade. 

Sana folded like paper underneath her gaze. “Sorry,” she murmured, rubbing the back of her neck. “I forgot about… you two.”

Y/N wasn’t sure exactly what she was talking about. She knew Nayeon was getting a divorce, but that was about all she knew and all she really cared about knowing to be frank. She certainly didn’t appreciate her snapping at her friend like that and said, “I’m sure anyone could tell you about the existential themes on the surface level. But hardly when it comes down to the individual principles of it.” She glanced back at Myung Soo and casually asked, “Have you even heard of  _ The Stranger _ ?”

Nayeon glared at her, clearly not caring who saw. “It doesn’t matter.” She turned around as if to go back into the kitchen and said over her shoulder, “If you really had any grasp of literature, you wouldn’t be a librarian. It’s like they say. Those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t write- well, they keep books. Like you.”

Y/N gritted her teeth. She wasn’t so bold as to openly glare at the woman- she wouldn’t quite stoop to her level, but she said, “For your information, I can- I  _ do  _ write.” 

Nayeon turned to face her again. Her lips were pursed, and she stared at the other woman with some genuine interest but could not hold herself back from stating, “The question is not if you do write. It’s if you should.” 

Y/N had nothing to say to that and glanced at Sana, hoping her friend would say something to get them out of this hell hole. 

The woman smiled sheepishly and grabbed Y/N’s hand. “We should probably get going. It’s a long drive to the emergency room from here.” 

Dahyun bit her lip and asked, “You’re sure you don’t want to bring any food with you? Maybe your aunt would want some. And we’ve got enough to go around.” 

“It’ll probably be cold by the time we get there,” Y/N said. She hadn’t known what Sana had said to convince them she had to leave before she got there, but she immediately picked up on and went along with Sana’s story.

Dahyun sighed. “Okay. If you’re sure.” She grabbed the hand that Sana wasn’t holding Y/N’s with and held it up to her chest. “Call me when you get there and let me know you made it there safely and how your aunt’s doing. Okay?”

Sana smiled, squeezing Dahyun’s hand with a nod. “I’ll make sure to keep you updated.” 

Dahyun let her hand go and stepped aside, so they could leave. Y/N considered saying something to the woman- she’d wanted to say something to her for awhile, seeing as she had hardly made it clear whether or not she was just leading Sana on. And, now that she knew who she was friends with, she really wouldn’t put it past her. But the woman seemed rather harmless at the same time, and she knew Sana would kill her if she said anything anyway. So she just silently left behind her friend. 

Once they were settled in the car, Y/N raised an eyebrow at her. “You really said your aunt was in the emergency room? Wasn’t she in there like a month ago?”

“I panicked!” Sana whined as she buckled in her seat belt. “It was all I could think of as a good enough excuse to get out of there.”

“I was going to ask you what was so bad you of all people felt like you had to leave,” Y/N said and put her keys in the ignition. “But I guess I don’t have to. They made it abundantly clear all on their own.” She sighed and turned to face Sana fully. “Are you sure this is really worth it?”

Sana chewed on her lip and mumbled, “Dahyun’s not like the rest of them. I was shocked she put up with them really.”

“She has pretty bad taste,” Y/N commented as she steered her way onto the highway. “She must if she’s friends with that bitch Nayeon.”

“What do you mean?” Sana asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “She made a bad impression at the library?”

“That would be an understatement,” Y/N told her, eyes flicking her way and back to the road again. “Are you really surprised with how she was just acting?”

They were both silent for a moment. “I mean, she’s going through a really tough divorce from what I understand,” Sana said eventually. “I’d probably be a bit of a bitch too if I was in her position.”

“You couldn’t be a bitch if you had to be to save your life,” Y/N scoffed. 

“I could be a bitch too,” Sana argued, but Y/N simply shook her head. “I guess I should say I’m sorry,” she added, and Y/N turned to look at her in confusion as they stopped at a red light. 

“What do you have to be sorry for?”

“I’m the one that convinced Nayeon to have her daughter volunteer for you,” she murmured, lips pressed into a thin line. “I didn’t realize just how bad she was before today.”

“You don’t have to apologize for that,” Y/N said. Her eyes were back on the road, but she could still tell Sana was hesitating. She could practically see her biting the inside of her cheek. “Seriously. It’s fine. I’ve dealt with bitchy parents before, and I’ll have no trouble doing it again.” 

“You’re sure?” Sana asked, her tone hopeful. 

Y/N smiled weakly and nodded. “It’s the volunteer themself that matters most anyway, and Yun is a sweet kid.” Maybe sweet was a bit of a stretch, but Sana didn’t have to know that. 

They both fell into a comfortable silence, but Y/N threw on the radio again just to fill the space. They tried to hold back their grimaces as Myung Soo’s latest hit blared on the station Y/N had left it on. But the song quickly ended, and they were okay. They had to be okay- they were stronger when they were together after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for a shorter chapter. But I hope you're enjoying this story. It would mean the world if you would leave a comment. <3


	3. Chapter 3

Y/N was signing out one of the  _ Lunar Chronicles _ books for a girl around thirteen when a man approached the counter. He kept glancing behind him at who she assumed was his daughter until they got closer, and she realized with a start that that girl was Yun. She smiled at them but couldn’t help but stare at the man. He looked familiar, but she still couldn’t put a name to his face.

“Is this where I drop you off?” he asked, and Yun sighed, looking exasperated and like she really wanted to roll her eyes at him. 

“Do you want me reshelving books again?” Yun asked Y/N instead of responding to him, quickly cutting to the chase. Y/N nodded silently, still unsure what was going on, but Yun just walked behind the counter and to the back room to get started.

“I’m sorry about her,” the man said. “She doesn’t always have the best manners… I suppose she takes after her mom in that way.”

“I suppose so,” Y/N agreed but cocked her head to the side. “I’m sorry, but you are..?”

“Oh!” The man jumped in surprise and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m her father.” He glanced around the room before leaning in and whispering, “Kim Heechul.” 

Y/N’s eyes widened. That was where she knew him from. He was a famous director, mostly of music videos- and, perhaps more importantly, Nayeon’s husband who she was divorcing. She supposed he was not too fond of her either then.

“Are you the head librarian?” he asked and plucked a copy of her card from its case, glancing over it once before putting it in his back pocket. “Y/N? Or is that someone else?”

“No. I mean, yes, I’m the head librarian, but no that’s not someone else. That’s me.” She pursed her lips and, after a moment’s deliberation, asked, “Is there something you need, sir?” She didn’t mind him loitering, but she hardly expected that after Nayeon acted how she did. 

“Oh! I’m sorry. I’m bothering you while you have work to do, aren’t I?” Heechul bit the inside of his cheek and told her, “I can go if you want.”

“No! No, it’s fine. I just wasn’t sure what you wanted,” Y/N replied, smiling, so he felt better. “You’re not bothering me.” 

“If you say so,” Heechul said, his eyes following Yun’s form as she pushed a cart toward the Adult section. “I just… want to spend as much time with her as I can. While I still can.”

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows and repeated, “While you still can?”

He smiled sadly and said, “My wife- well, we’re getting a divorce, but she’s still my wife for now at least- she’s filing for a restraining order against me.”

Y/N’s eyes widened- her mouth went agape. She hadn’t heard that in all of her time watching and listening to Sana. Was it a recent development then? Or was that information simply not public? She assumed the former if Heechul was telling it to a random librarian. 

“Why?” she spluttered, and he chuckled darkly. 

“She wants to make sure I don’t get custody of Yun,” he said, chewing on his lower lip. “She doesn’t even want to share it. And, if she can make me look bad enough, then she knows she won’t have to.”

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows and stared at him. She didn’t like Nayeon- that was certainly true, but she didn’t believe that she was that bad. 

“Anyway, I should probably get going- let you get back to work,” he said as a teenage boy took his place behind him in line. 

“Wait,” Y/N protested as he turned around and headed in the direction of the door. She gestured for him to come back, which he did. “Can I have my card back?”

He raised an eyebrow but took it out of his pocket and handed it to her. She grabbed a pen and wrote her phone number down on it. “In case you ever need to get a hold of me. I’m more likely to respond to that than email,” she admitted with a breathy laugh. 

He grinned and took the card back. “Thanks,” he said before waving and walking back to the entrance. “I’ll be back to pick her up in about two hours.” 

She nodded before turning to the boy in line. He held up a  _ Percy Jackson _ book, ready for her to take it and sign it back in.

No one came up to the counter for awhile after that, so she felt okay peeking her head back into the back room where Yun was collecting more books to shelve. “You said you like Pokemon, right?” she asked, and the girl looked up, eyebrows furrowed, but nodded. 

Y/N hummed underneath her breath and headed back outside again. Seeing no one there 

waiting for her, she walked toward the Young Adult section, muttering “Butcher… Butcher… Butcher” to herself as she walked through the different shelves to find where the B’s met the C’s. From there, she looked for the name Butcher and threw her hands up in the air in a silent cheer when she found what she was looking for, plucking a few books up and off the shelf. She carried them back to the counter and left them on a stack of papers to deal with later. 

Yun immediately spotted them when she came back with her cart and, eyes scrutinizing the woman, questioned, “What are you doing?”

“Do you have a library card?” Y/N asked instead of answering, and Yun shook her head no. “Hm. Well, I guess we can just sign them out with mine, and you can just make sure to bring them back in a month’s time.”

“What are you talking about?” Yun’s eyebrows were drawn together in confusion, and she clenched and unclenched her hands at her sides over and over again, her nails biting into her palms when they were in fists. 

“You said you liked Pokemon but not reading,” Y/N said, picking up the books and scanning them. “Well, what if you could read something  _ based off of _ Pokemon?” She held up a book that read  _ Furies of Caulderon.  _ A boy blocked two ghostlike creatures with his arm, sword in hand, on the cover. 

“ _ That’s  _ supposed to be based on Pokemon?” Yun took it from her, turning it around and glancing at the back in search of a blurb. 

“Jim Butcher was asked about good ideas versus good execution and if a good author could write a good book about what seemed like a terrible idea,” Y/N explained as she scanned the next two books too. “Someone told him to combine Pokemon and a lost Roman legion and make a book out of it. So he did. And then some- he wrote a six book series about it.”

“Six books?” Yun looked queasy like she might be sick. 

“Just try it,” Y/N said, taking the first book back, so she could put them in a stack for her. “I know it’s out of your comfort zone, but, if you just try it, you might really like it.”

“Six books is a lot,” Yun argued.

“You can take all the time you need to read them,” Y/N told her, nudging the stack in her direction. “You have a month now with these three. If you need more time, just tell me, and I’ll renew them for you.”

Yun chewed on her lip but nodded and took the books in her hands. They were heavier than they looked, which made her nervous, but she wouldn’t give up based on that alone. 

When Heechul came back to pick her up, she held the books close to her chest as she followed him out the door. 

“What have you got there?” Y/N heard him ask.

“Nothing,” Yun replied immediately, and Heechul smiled sheepishly at Y/N while he held the door open for Yun. He sent the librarian a small wave, and she waved back.

“Who was that?” Momo asked as she walked out of the back room.

“Nayeon’s husband. Well- he’ll be her ex husband soon enough,” Y/N told her, and Momo nodded slowly in understanding.

“He seemed nice,” she said. “But maybe there’s more to him than meets the eye.”

“Are you attracted to him?” Y/N asked, a single eyebrow raised as she stared at the woman. She could already tell she was right. 

“Hush.” Momo ducked back into the back room. Y/N just shook her head. What was she going to do with her? 

But, then again, she’d asked the very same question about Yun, and she seemed to be making progress with the girl. She smiled as she returned to her work- Yun really wasn’t so hopeless like she first thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for another short chapter. The next one should be longer. I hope you're enjoying this story regardless. It would mean the world if you would leave a comment. <3


	4. Chapter 4

The next time Yun came to the library, it was with her mother, and Y/N had to resist the urge to heave a sigh as they approached the counter. Yun trailed behind her mom, whose stern expression was obvious, even with a mask covering half of her face. 

“I need your email,” she said as soon as Y/N was done signing out some books for a little kid. 

Y/N raised an eyebrow, her stare cold as she recalled everything Heechul had told her about the woman. “I thought you didn’t want it,” she replied, tone biting. 

Nayeon furrowed her eyebrows, shocked at the blatant disrespect, but she still wouldn’t be deterred. “We’re going out of town,” she explained, arms crossed over her chest and heeled toe tapping against the floor. “I figured I should let you know when we get back. But, if you don’t care for that information, I can always just show up unannounced.” 

Y/N pursed her lips into a thin line and, albeit reluctantly, grabbed her card from its box and handed it over. 

A man also wearing a mask opened the front door and quickly approached the counter, grabbing Nayeon’s arm once he was close enough. It took a second for Y/N to recognize him as Myung Soo, but it was unmistakable once she heard his voice. “Come on, Nayeon. We have a shoot at HQ, remember?” He glanced up at Y/N with a sneer on his face, probably remembering their last conversation. “Anything you need to tell this librarian can wait.” 

Nayeon nodded after a moment’s pause. She turned to Yun like she was going to say something but seemingly thought better of it and left with Myung Soo trailing behind her. 

Y/N finally allowed herself to sigh before turning to Yun, who didn’t seem any happier than she was. But, for the first time since she started volunteering there, she was clutching a bag at her side. Y/N was about to ask what she had there when she pulled out the books she had given her last time. 

“Can I sign these back in?” she asked, placing them on top of the counter. She chewed her bottom lip as she added, “And do you know if you have the rest of the series?”

Y/N felt a lot of emotions in that moment. First of all, she was surprised that a kid who barely read could devour three decently sized books in a mere week. But, more than that, she felt giddy that she had found something that would spark a genuine love of reading in the girl.

“I’ll check to see if we have them while you reshelve some books. How about that?” she asked, and Yun nodded with a speed that gave away the eagerness she seemed to want to hide on her face. 

Yun started to head to the back room, but Y/N stopped her. “You can put your bag in the break room if you’d like,” she said, gesturing to the staircase in the front hallway. “It’s upstairs. I’m sure Momo can show you where it is.” 

Yun hesitated but nodded, heading for the staircase with the strap of her bag clutched in her hands like a lifeline. By the time she came back down and headed into the back room with a cart, Y/N had already gone to grab the other books for her. Someone had taken out the final book, but she was able to sign out the next two for her and figured that should be enough to hold her over for at least a little while. She’d just have to keep an eye out for someone returning the final book. 

Two hours passed with nothing of note really happening. Yun had already gotten used to her job and was getting very efficient at it. But, at around what time her sessions would typically end, her mom still hadn’t showed up to get her. So she stood by the counter and waited to talk to Y/N as she signed books in and out for people. Once the woman was free, she asked rather hesitantly, “Could I just hang out in the break room until my mom gets here?”

Y/N raised an eyebrow but shrugged and nodded. “I don’t see why not. I’m sure you saw, but there’s food and drinks in there that you’re free to eat or drink.” She pursed her lips and added, “I can come get you when your mom gets here.”

“Thank you,” Yun said, her shoulders losing some tension and falling from up by the tips of her ears back to their normal resting position. She headed back upstairs, passing Momo who was coming down and grinned at the girl, despite knowing by now that she’d get little to no response from her. 

“You seem to be getting close to Yun,” she commented as she approached the counter. “I can’t get her to so much as crack a smile, but she comes out of her shell at least a little bit when she talks to you.”

Y/N shook her head. “I feel like there’s still so much further to go to get her walls to come down,” she said. 

“Still, you’ve made real progress with her,” Momo argued. “I feel like she doesn’t just come here begrudgingly anymore.”

Y/N chewed the inside of her cheek, thinking back on how Yun was the first time she volunteered at the library. Even hearing someone call her mother a bitch wasn’t enough to get a reaction out of her. She just seemed to think everything was a pain, and, now, she was reading voraciously at the mere recommendation of someone she had cared for so little before. 

“Anyway,” Momo said as she grabbed an empty cart from where it was resting at the end of a bookshelf, “she didn’t just so happen to come with her dad today. Did she?”

“Momo,” Y/N groaned, running a hand down her face. “The man is in the middle of getting a divorce. You really think he’s looking for someone to be with right now?”

“You never know!” Momo replied, but her flushed cheeks were a dead giveaway that she did, in fact, know. She just would not give up on hope, which was such a Momo thing to do. 

At that moment, they heard a bell jingling as someone stepped inside the front entrance, and the two turned to see Nayeon approaching, looking harried. They both shut their mouths and stared as she asked, “Can someone please tell Yun I’m here?”

Y/N had never in her life thought that she would hear the word please come out of Im Nayeon’s mouth, but she wasn’t about to argue with her when it did. She stumbled out from behind the counter and said, “I can go get her if Momo can watch the counter for me for a minute.”

Momo nodded. She pushed her cart into the back room before standing behind the counter. And she propped her elbows up and placed her head in her hands, seemingly trying to make conversation with the woman, but Y/N didn’t stay long enough to find out what she could possibly have to say to her. She knew even Momo wouldn’t think to talk to her about Heechul- or at least she hoped that was the case. 

Y/N was tempted to hurry to remain on the woman’s good side as that was so rare, but, when she really thought about it, she didn’t care what she thought, only about Yun waiting and walked at a brisk but even pace. 

Yun was sitting at one of the tables, playing on some kind of gaming console- Y/N was pretty sure it was called a Switch. She was pretty sure her nieces and nephews had the same system, but she definitely could have been wrong. 

“What are you up to?” she asked, even though her pulse was thrumming in her ears, and she knew every second she spoke to her was a second she kept Nayeon waiting. 

“Just doing some battles,” Yun said, her eyes not leaving the screen as she fiddled with the control stick and buttons. 

“So is this VGC?” Y/N sat down at the table beside her where she could look over her shoulder to see the screen. She noticed an open package of Chips Ahoy and an empty water bottle in front of the girl and was glad that she had taken note that she was allowed to have some of the food and drinks. 

“Not really. This is just online battling,” Yun said, grabbing another cookie and chewing on it as some animations played. 

“Oh. Is there a ranking system to that too? Or tiering?” Y/N asked as she pulled a water bottle out of the open pack for herself. It was warm, but she didn’t mind as she took a large gulp. 

“There are different tiers,” Yun confirmed with a nod and wiped her mouth of crumbs with a napkin. “I’m in Master Ball tier, which is the highest tier, but everything resets the first day of every month.” 

Y/N scooted closer to get a better look at the screen. “I like the cat,” she commented. There was a large, red and black cat standing on its hind legs, arms outstretched like an invitation to mess with it. “Do you like the Pokemons you use, or do you just use what’s good?”

“I generally grow to like Pokemon after I use them,” Yun said. “Incineroar’s been a favorite of mine for awhile since it’s been so good in the meta game across generations.”

Y/N nodded like she understood what that meant, but she really had no clue what Yun was talking about. She didn’t know what a meta game was or what a generation meant, but she still wanted Yun to have someone to talk to about this passion of hers. “Is there a community aspect to competitive Pokemon?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “I imagine there has to be.”

Yun chewed her lower lip and said, “I used to make videos about VGC.” She sighed. “I had a little community from that, but my channel went sort of viral when people found out who my mom was. I haven’t touched it since then.” 

Y/N frowned as she took another gulp of her water. She swallowed thickly and told her, “You shouldn’t let something like that prevent you from having fun.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Yun said and winced as one of her Pokemon took a lot of damage, but she quickly turned the situation around, taking down one of her competitor’s team members. At least that’s what Y/N thought was going on. She was either a fast learner or completely off base, and it was entirely possible that it was the latter. “It’s hard when you don’t know who wants to be your friend just because of your mom.”

“Speaking of your mom,” Y/N said with a sigh, remembering why she was up here in the first place, “she’s waiting for you downstairs.”

“This battle’s almost over anyway,” Yun commented, quickly pressing buttons to get things over with. Y/N was quiet for the next few minutes, just watching as she ended victorious and stuffed her Switch back in her bag. They both stood up without a word and headed downstairs just as quietly. 

“Yun. There you are,” Nayeon sighed, looking and sounding relieved. She held tightly onto the strap of her purse with one hand, gesturing for the girl to leave behind her with the other.

“Wait!” Y/N called as she took her place behind the counter again. The duo paused, and Yun actually smiled as Y/N pulled her books from where they sat on top of some paperwork. “You almost forgot these bad boys.”

“What are those?” Nayeon asked, tone critical. 

“Just some books that Yun wanted to read,” Y/N said and reached out to hand them to Yun, but Nayeon intercepted her hand and took them instead.

“Yun doesn’t even have a library card,” Nayeon replied, glancing over the books’ blurbs, face pensive. 

“I signed them out for her with my account,” Y/N explained. She glanced at Yun, who looked forlorn, and clenched her hands into fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms. “They’re PG-13,” she added, hoping that would persuade Nayeon to let her have them back, but the woman just shook her head. 

“I’ll take a look at these later, and, then, we’ll see if you can have them back,” she said. 

“Mom,” Yun tried to argue, but Nayeon gave her a look, and she relented. “Fine. Okay.” 

“They’re really not inappropriate for someone her age,” Y/N told her again, but Nayeon could not be dissuaded. 

“We’ll talk about it at home. Now, let’s go. We’re already later than we should be.” Nayeon turned to the door and started walking. Yun paused for a moment, but, when her mother glanced back at her, she reluctantly started to follow. 

Y/N pursed her lips into a thin line. She didn’t think Nayeon understood or even _tried_ to understand her daughter one bit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this chapter would be longer, and it’s still kinda short, but I didn’t feel right just adding words to make it longer. I’m gonna stop promising chapter lengths when I clearly can’t gauge how long they’re going to be before I actually write them. Also, I’m sorry this chapter took longer than usual. I’m now writing two stories at the same time (one on here and one on my other account, promisedescape), so things are going to take a little longer as I go back and forth writing chapters for each. I’m gonna try to write faster to compensate, but I’m not gonna rush things at the same time. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It would mean the world if you would leave a comment. Let me know what your favorite part of this chapter was!


	5. Chapter 5

Y/N honestly was not entirely sure how she got here. She remembered Sana telling her Dahyun invited her to an exclusive party as part of the press for the event, and she remembered her asking her to be her plus one. She even remembered her saying, according to Dahyun, Nayeon was asking if she would come along. But she had no idea why someone who seemed to hate her so much would ever do such a thing, to the point where she naturally assumed it was a lie, and Dahyun just wanted to make Sana more comfortable. 

She couldn’t help but question her decision to accept the invitation as she sat at their VIP table, tuning out the conversation going on between Dahyun, Nayeon, and Myung Soo or at least trying. There was some argument about whether or not they should stay in LA between their upcoming trip and the AMA’s or if they should come home and just fly back the night of the event. Dahyun was worried about leaving Sana for that long, but Myung Soo brushed that off entirely, stating, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder and all of that shit.”

Dahyun didn’t seem too pleased with that response, but the three all grew quiet when Sana came back around with a large bottle of alcohol. Y/N got herself a glass, despite not knowing exactly what it was as she really didn’t drink very often. It was pleasant enough that she ended up having a few glasses instead of just the one, and, by the time she stopped drinking, she was definitely tipsy at the least. 

She was so tipsy, in fact, that she almost didn’t question it when Nayeon asked her to dance. She had already stood up to accept her request when she questioned what the woman was doing. “You’re serious?” she asked. She wasn’t drunk enough that she was slurring her words, and she was grateful for that as she wanted just as clear of a response. 

“Dead serious.” Nayeon took hold of her hands and led her into the fray of the crowd. Y/N didn’t resist, reluctant but undoubtedly curious about what was going on. “Can you dance?” Nayeon asked, trying to speak over the blaring music. Luckily, it was fairly easy for Y/N to read her lips. “Or was that why you were just sitting over there?”

“Is that a challenge?” Y/N asked.

Nayeon raised an eyebrow but said, “I guess it is.” 

In that moment, “Love Shot” came on, and Y/N inhaled deeply, trying to muster the energy and courage to do what she was about to do. She had learned the choreography years ago and, although she came in late, she nailed each and every move, all thanks to Momo’s teaching. She made the shooting gesture in the chorus and lowered her arm down to her chest when Nayeon grabbed her arm and held it close to her. 

“What are you doing?” Y/N tried asking above the blaring music. She wasn’t sure if Nayeon actually heard her, but she was pretty sure she had at least been able to read her lips. 

“I want you to dance  _ with  _ me, not for me,” Nayeon said. Y/N pursed her lips into a thin line but nodded. Still, she couldn’t have been prepared for what Nayeon did next. “Follow my lead,” she told her and turned Y/N around, away from her. 

There were a few seconds where nothing happened, perhaps while Nayeon questioned her decision, but she steeled her resolve and did the thing- she grabbed Y/N’s hips and grinded her crotch against her behind. 

Y/N jolted in surprise at the sensation but didn’t move away, and, after a second, she grinded right back. She felt herself flush down to her chest and was glad she was turned away from Nayeon, so she couldn’t see the effect she was having on her. 

She saw a camera flash in her peripheral vision- seemingly from a phone as she and Sana and presumably the rest of the press hadn’t been allowed to bring any real cameras inside. And she stopped moving for a second. She didn’t want Nayeon to have any scandals written about her, nor did she want to be some mystery girl involved in said scandals, and it was in that moment that she remembered Yun and Heechul and everything they had said about this woman. 

Deflated, she turned back around to face Nayeon, who still held onto her hips until Y/N physically pulled her hands off of her. “I can’t do this,” she said. She would have been quiet even without the pounding of the music. “Love Shot” had stopped playing awhile ago, replaced by a song Y/N didn’t recognize. 

“What’s wrong?” Nayeon asked. She crossed her arms over her chest before letting them fall to her sides, seemingly unaware what to do with her hands in a situation like this. 

Y/N clenched hers into fists, knuckles surely going white. “I can’t dance with you,” she said, shaking her head back and forth, so she definitely got the message. “Not like that.” She turned around, careful not to hit anyone as she stepped out of the little pocket of space they had found and inhabited. She didn’t know where she was going, but, surely enough, she found herself by the VIP tables once she made it out of the crowd. It was fairly simple navigating her way from there to where Sana was still sitting. 

“Where’d you run off to?” Sana asked, and Y/N sighed in relief that she could actually hear the other girl as if she had started to forget what human voices sounded like or something. 

“Nayeon wanted to dance with me,” Y/N said. When Sana furrowed her eyebrows, she quickly added, “I don’t know why either. But I didn’t want to. Not with her.” She chewed the inside of her cheek and pushed her hair out of her face. It had gotten sticky with sweat as the lights were, in fact, sweltering, and she wanted it out of her way. “Where’s Dahyun? Why aren’t you two dancing?” 

Sana immediately frowned, and Y/N knew she wasn’t going to like what she was about to say. “She didn’t want to dance,” she told her, elbows on the table, hands holding her chin up. “She doesn’t want people knowing she feels… that way about girls yet. Which is fine,” she added before Y/N could say anything. “I don’t blame her. And I like just talking with her anyway.” 

“So you probably don’t want me hanging out around here and interrupting the two of you,” Y/N guessed, and Sana smiled sheepishly. “It’s okay. I can dance on my own.” 

“Are you sure?” Sana asked, reaching a hand out to grab one of Y/N’s. “You know I care about you first and foremost.”

“I’ll be fine,” Y/N said, squeezing her hand, which Sana then retracted and gripped the table with. “Really.” She saw Dahyun approaching with drinks and stood up, nodding at the girl by way of greeting and quickly losing herself in the crowd before Sana could argue with her. 

Most of her dancing was really just bouncing on the balls of her feet to the rhythm of whatever song was playing, but, at one point, she made eye contact with a girl, and they both tentatively stepped closer to one another. Before they knew it, their bodies were intertwining with and grinding against one another like they had known each other for years and not just the past couple minutes. When the fourth or fifth song they’d been dancing to ended, they broke apart, both of their breaths sitting heavier in their throats. The girl nodded her head and started to back away before turning and leaving her behind, almost like she had all just been a dream. 

It was then that she saw Nayeon standing a few feet away, staring at her until she stared back, quickly turning away once she felt her eyes on her. But Y/N had seen her looking and felt some tightness in her chest that she couldn’t get rid of, even when she headed back to the table. Nayeon had somehow gotten there before she had and was chatting quietly with Myung Soo while Sana and Dahyun were absorbed in their own conversation. 

Y/N sat down without a word, listening to neither conversation as she was lost in her own world, unsure what to think about anything that had happened that entire night. When Sana pulled her arm, telling her it was about time they left, she got up, just as silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It would mean the world if you would leave a comment. Let me know what your favorite part of this chapter was!


	6. Chapter 6

“I just don’t understand how this is happening.” Y/N looked up from her computer to see Sana shaking her head as she held it in her hands. “I thought we had gotten closer after that party. I thought we were really getting somewhere.”

Y/N exited out of her tab on the library website and pushed her screen down out of her way- but not completely shut. “I think you’re overreacting at least a little bit,” she said, reaching out a hand to pat her on the knee. “It’s just a little trip. They’ll be back before you know it.”

“It might just be a little trip if she  _ told me  _ about it,” Sana argued, brushing her hair out of her face, “but she didn’t. Not to mention- Myung Soo likes telling me about every other girl she so much as looks at.” She pursed her lips into a thin line and added, “Every celebrity girl that I have no hopes of competing with.” 

“Myung Soo’s a dick,” Y/N said, and she was unapologetic about it. “You don’t have to actually worry about any of these girls, Sana. I’ve seen how Dahyun acts around you. She likes you. Because you’re you, and you  _ can  _ compete with any celebrity she may or may not run into.” 

“But why wouldn’t she tell me then?” Sana stressed, crossing her arms on the table and resting her head on top of them. She exhaled shakily through her nose, and Y/N knew that this was really bothering her. 

‘I don’t know,” she admitted and opened her computer again as she got a notification from somewhere. “Maybe Nayeon had something to do with it. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

“Just because you don’t like Nayeon doesn’t mean she’s the root of all evil,” Sana pointed out, rolling her eyes. 

“Maybe not,” Y/N said and sat up straighter as she opened up an email from Heechul. “But you have to admit she probably doesn’t want any more scandals right now, and you might just count as a potential one in her eyes.”

Someone really had taken a picture of her and Nayeon dancing at the party. Fortunately for Y/N, they didn’t get any clear shots of her, let alone her face, so no one knew that it was actually her. But they did know that Nayeon had some mystery girl she was grinding against at a celebrity event- all while she was going through a divorce, and no one even knew she wasn’t straight.

“I wouldn’t have forced them to let me go with them or something,” Sana argued and puffed out her cheeks. “I just want to be kept in the loop. Is that too much to ask?”

“No,” Y/N murmured as she skimmed Heechul’s email. “It’s not too much to ask.”

_ Hey, Y/N. It’s Heechul _ , the email read, and she mimed a small wave at her computer.  _ We haven’t really had the chance to talk while Yun’s away with her mother, so I just wanted to check in. See if maybe you wanted to meet up somewhere and catch up? You obviously don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I thought I’d extend the offer at least. _

Y/N leaned her elbow on the table and held her head up with her hand, smiling fondly at the message. 

“At least one of us is happy,” Sana mumbled, taking a sip of her soda. 

“I’m sorry. What were you saying?” Y/N asked, focus back on her friend. She had admittedly started to tune her out- after about an hour of ranting in her defense. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Sana sighed, chewing on her lower lip. “Who emailed you? They must’ve said something good.”

“It was Yun’s father actually,” Y/N told her, and Sana immediately furrowed her eyebrows.

“How’d he get your email?” she asked, sounding hesitant to even so much as pose the question.

“He brings Yun to the library sometimes,” Y/N said with a shrug, unsure what was wrong with him having her email. “What’s wrong?”

“I mean, I don’t really know why,” Sana said, swirling her straw in her glass absentmindedly, “but Nayeon hates him. Like  _ really  _ hates him.”

“I’m not Nayeon’s biggest fan either,” Y/N pointed out, clicking to start drafting a reply to Heechul’s email. 

“I know,” Sana said, biting the inside of her cheek. “I guess it’s fine if you talk to him. But please promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise,” Y/N told her as her fingers tapped wildly against the keys. “How about we make a deal?”

“What kind of deal?” Sana asked, already looking unsure.

“He wants to meet up somewhere. And I’ve owed Momo free jokbal for awhile now. How about I bring her with me? So it’s not just us one on one,” Y/N suggested.

Sana stared at her with uncharacteristic intensity but, eventually, sighed and said, “I guess that’d be okay.”

“Thank you,” Y/N said as she clicked send on her email. She didn’t need Sana’s approval to do anything- she was a grown woman who could do what she wanted, but it was nice to have nonetheless. “Momo’s been wanting to talk to him anyway.”

“Why?” Sana asked, and Y/N merely shrugged.

“Why does Momo do most of the things she does?”

Momo was fidgeting with her hands as they sat down at a booth together, hiding the activity from anyone but Y/N behind the table. “You’re sure I look alright?” she asked, running her hands through her hair and smoothing it down. 

“You look fine, Momo,” Y/N assured her, setting her purse down on the ground beside her for easy access. “He’s not going to care if you have a single hair out of place. Calm down.”

“Right. Because he’s interested in you first and foremost,” Momo said, and Y/N sighed in exasperation. Ever since she told Momo about him emailing her, she’d become convinced Heechul liked her as more than a friend- whereas Y/N wasn’t even sure if they could be considered friends more than just acquaintances yet. But it was her working theory, and Y/N had no idea why she would shoot herself in the foot thinking that, but it was like she asked Sana: Why did Momo do most of the things she did?

Y/N sat up straighter when she saw Heechul enter the restaurant and waved an arm to get his attention. It took a moment for him to find her, but, once he did, he promptly headed over, wallet in one hand and the other outstretched to reach out and hug the two women before him. Y/N appreciated the gesture and hugged back, but Momo held on for perhaps a moment longer than necessary, and it was clear on her face while he couldn’t see it that she was panicking about it. But, once he let her go, she quickly shifted her features into a soft smile that one couldn’t read too far into. 

“I’m Heechul,” he introduced himself as he set his wallet down and leaned his elbows on top of the table, so he could fold his hands in between them. 

“I’m Momo,” she said with a nod of her head, and Y/N noticed her clench her hands into fists on her thighs, knuckles gone white and nails surely biting into the skin of her palms. “I’m a big fan of your work.”

“Really?” Heechul asked and held his head up with a hand. “Most people don’t know much about music video directors.”

“When they’ve worked with some of my favorite choreographers, I care to know,” Momo replied, chewing slightly on her lower lip. 

“Oh. Are you a dancer then?” Heechul cocked his head to the side, and his eyes were alight with entertainment. He clearly loved talking about his job, and Y/N wasn’t convinced he didn’t also love talking about it with Momo in particular. She still didn’t really know how she felt about her friend trying to form a relationship with a man in the middle of getting a divorce, but she was still rooting for the woman to get what she wanted regardless. “All I really know about you is that you’re a librarian that likes Korean food,” he joked, and Momo pursed her lips to keep from laughing, but she was unable to set them into a straight line. 

“I work at a dance studio on the side,” she told him, and she finally brought her hands up from behind the table to lean forward on her elbows toward Heechul. 

They kept talking about dancing, Y/N keeping quiet throughout most of the conversation as she knew little about it, but she did contribute bits and pieces of information about Momo’s dancing accomplishments here and there. Most of the time was spent with Momo asking Heechul a barrage of questions though. Even when they had to order, as soon as they were done, Momo was right back to her line of questioning. Y/N couldn’t help but wonder if she’d drafted a list to pose or something. It took Heechul cutting into yet another question, saying he had to go to the bathroom for a moment, for her to quit it. 

“What’s up with you?” Y/N asked, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the plush seat of the booth. “It’s like you’re interrogating him or something.”

“I have to make sure I approve of him,” Momo said, shrugging a single shoulder, and Y/N rolled her eyes.

“He doesn’t like me like that. He seems to like you if anything,” she said. She pushed Momo on the arm, feinting anger, but it was all completely fake. “I certainly wouldn’t deal with someone asking me all of those questions if I didn’t like them.” 

“Whatever you say,” Momo replied, not seeming at all convinced. She pushed herself off of her seat and squeezed past Y/N’s legs to get out of the booth. “I have to go to the bathroom too. You gonna be okay out here on your own?” 

Y/N raised an eyebrow at her and asked, “Why wouldn’t I be?” She reached down to grab her phone from her purse, so she could see what time it was. “Heechul should be out in a minute anyway.” 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Momo admitted and squirmed where she stood- it seemed she’d had to go to the bathroom for awhile but was holding it in. She was done doing that now though and made a b-line in the direction Heehcul had headed where the bathrooms must have been.

She ended up passing Heechul while he was on his way out and as she opened the door to the ladies’ room. They both nodded by way of greeting before moving on, Momo with a bit more urgency than the newly refreshed Heechul. 

“I’m sorry for her,” Y/N said when he sat back down, putting her phone away again. “I 

don’t know where all of those questions came from.” 

“It’s alright,” Heechul said and took a sip of his drink, which could probably use a refill if they weren’t wrapping things up. “I just like hanging out with you. And Momo of course.”

Y/N smiled at that but glanced up as their waiter came around to ask if they needed any boxes for leftovers. She was sure that Momo wouldn’t want to waste any jokbal and made sure to ask for a box for that, but she didn’t really need any herself. 

“I like hanging out with you too,” she made sure to mention once they were alone again. 

She grabbed her purse up off of the floor to find her wallet, so she could pay, but Heehcul

argued, “I’ve got it.” 

“I can pay,” she said, wallet now in hand and going to unzip it. “I’ve owed Momo free jokbal for awhile now. And it won’t be a problem for me to pick up your portion of the tab too.”

“I’m the one who asked you to come eat with me,” Heechul pointed out, already rifling through the cash he had on him. “Consider this a thank you for looking after my daughter.”

Y/N pursed her lips. She didn’t like it whenever people paid for her- it was an offer made often, people usually thinking something along the lines of a mere librarian being unable to spend so much money. But she supposed she did take care of Yun for him, although she usually thought of Yun as the one doing her a favor. “I guess,” she said but not without a bitter taste in her mouth. 

When Momo returned, the bill was already paid, and Y/N handed her her box of leftover jokbal. “Thanks,” she told her friend before turning to Heechul. She reached a hand out for him to shake, which he did with vigor. “It was nice meeting you.”

“And you,” he said and rummaged through his back pocket for something, eventually finding what he wanted and producing a card. “In case I need a choreographer for a music video someday,” he explained, and Momo’s eyes were wide as she stared at him. 

“I only choreograph for a tiny dance studio,” she said, gripping her box of jokbal tight enough that she almost made the lid collapse. She moved one hand down to her side, so she could clench it into a fist without risking making a mess. 

“Then, you can email me some of your work, and I can see if it’s up to snuff,” Heechul said with a shrug. “I have a feeling it will be though.”

Momo swallowed thickly but nodded and took the card, a light blush covering her cheeks that did not go unnoticed- at least not by Y/N. She looped her arm around Momo’s and gestured for her to walk with her to the door, waving goodbye to Heechul with her other hand. He merely nodded in response and headed toward his own car. 

When Y/N sat down in the driver’s seat, Momo was staring at the card in her hands, murmuring the information to herself under her breath. 

“I told you he liked you,” Y/N said as she got on the road, glancing in her side view mirror to make sure she didn’t hit anything or anyone. 

“Oh, shut up.” But Momo seemed satisfied as she pocketed the card and turned on the radio, so she could hum along to the music. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It would mean the world if you would leave a comment. Let me know what your favorite part of this chapter was!


	7. Chapter 7

If Y/N thought she hadn’t known how she’d gotten to that party, she had no idea just how strange her life could really be. She felt incredibly out of place as she stepped out of a taxi after Sana, rolling her small suitcase on the ground as they headed toward the hotel in front of them, except for when she briefly had to lift it up to get it onto the sidewalk. She had really only packed the necessities along with a mass market paperback or two, but Sana lugged a much larger suitcase by her side- she had come here to do work after all and not just to play as moral support for this sudden trip. 

As they headed toward the front desk to get the keys to their room, Y/N smoothed down the skirt of her dress, which she was all too aware came from Target of all places, as she stared at the gaudy furniture surrounding her on all sides. Sana could have probably been dressed better for the occasion, but they had just gotten out of the airport, and she really could not be bothered to dress in anything more fashionable than a plain, little sundress- but at least hers probably hadn’t come from Target. 

The two women heard a gasp from behind them and turned their heads away from the receptionist to see familiar faces in Myung Soo, Nayeon, and Dahyun, the one who had gasped and who stepped toward them with a smile, albeit one smaller than usual. And, unfortunately, Y/N was sure it did not go unnoticed by Sana, whose shoulders tensed and raised up toward her ears. 

“What are you guys doing here?” Dahyun asked, wrapping a single arm around Sana’s shoulders in a one sided hug that was over before Sana could reciprocate the action. 

“I’m covering the AMA’s red carpet,” Sana said, crossing her arms over her chest and avoiding looking at Nayeon or Myung Soo, who didn’t appear very happy to see the two of them. 

“I didn’t know the press would be staying here too,” Nayeon murmured, frowning deeply with furrowed eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have recommended it to my team if I knew that.” 

Y/N eyed Myung Soo, knowing full well that Sana had heard where they were staying from him, and that was the reason they booked a room there in the first place. But he merely worried his lip between his teeth, and she could tell he wouldn’t own up to his mistake if he didn’t have to- and that he considered it a mistake, which only made her angry. She didn’t know if it was Dahyun herself who was convinced that Sana was bad news or if it was these two who were convincing her, but she wasn’t about to stand for it. Sana deserved better than that. 

The woman shifted her weight from one foot to the other and bit the inside of her cheek in a moment of deliberation before asking, “Well- would you guys like to have dinner with us?” Although she was certainly not the wealthiest person among them, she quickly added, “On me of course.” She just wanted them to say yes more than anything, even if that meant a night with Nayeon and Myung Soo.

“Unfortunately, we already have plans for tonight,” Myung Soo said, arms crossed over his chest and clearly not truly apologetic in the least.

Nayeon nodded her head with vigor and reached out to take Dahyun’s hand. She tugged lightly on her arm, so she would follow the other two, who were already turning around toward the front entrance. 

“What about after the show?” Sana asked, biting her lip. She sounded a bit like a high school boy asking his crush who just didn’t like him like that on a date. But Dahyun did like Sana, or so Y/N thought, so why was she walking away from what they could have together? “If you’ll still be here after at least,” Sana added and rubbed the back of her neck. Perhaps she sounded a bit desperate, but Y/N didn’t blame her when all she was getting from Dahyun was mixed singles, and tweedle dee and tweedle dum seemed like they were only out to make things worse.

“We’re going to be busy at work here for the week,” Myung Soo said and grabbed his sister’s other hand, nodding in the direction of the door as if it wasn’t obvious he wanted to leave already. 

“Maybe when we get back home, we can all get something to eat together,” Dahyun suggested, squeezing Nayeon and Myung Soo’s hands once before letting go, immediately smoothing down the skirt of her dress once hers were free. She gave Sana and Y/N one last smile before following the other two, who were already walking toward the door. 

Sana turned to Y/N once they were gone and asked quietly, “Did I just blow it?” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked back at the receptionist again, who had already dropped the key to their room on her desk. She swiped it up, but Y/N could tell she had lost her nerve, doing so with her shoulders slumped and a deep frown on her face. 

Y/N didn’t know what she could say to make her feel better, and it seemed Sana understood that she was drawing a blank. Once they got to their room, she immediately dropped herself onto the bed closer to the window, where she could overlook the hotel’s pool and everyone enjoying themselves in it- perhaps just to know some people were happy at least. 

Y/N turned the TV onto the channel Sana worked at after finding the listing of channels available on it, hoping it would be some familiar background noise and that it might cheer Sana up at least a little. But she merely rolled over onto her stomach, so she could stuff her face in her pillow. When Y/N asked about room service, she had to read aloud the options on the menu until Sana gave her a thumbs up because she wasn’t lifting her head from its place until she had to. 

Y/N got herself some pasta whereas Sana just wanted pizza. She wanted to eat her feelings, and that meant eating something that was hopefully terribly greasy. When their meals arrived, she finally sat down with Y/N on the couch situated in front of a small coffee table, and her face was slightly swollen from resting on it for so long. 

“You feel any better now?” Y/N asked once Sana was done with her food- it didn’t take long, probably because she was eating so emotionally. But she merely shrugged and crossed the room to open up her suitcase, so she could grab some clothes to throw on after a much needed hot shower. Y/N just pulled out her laptop to check her email and see if there had been any problems at work while she was away, pasta on the side to nibble at, although she didn’t feel like eating very much. 

The sound of the water running was admittedly much better background noise than any of Sana’s colleagues. She managed to read through and respond to numerous emails. Not that anything terrible had happened at work, but there were questions only the head librarian could answer for people. And she did just that, hoping her answers would be enough to go off of. Part of her was nervous about anything and everything going wrong while she was on this surprise trip, but she had faith in her staff. Even while they were few in number, they were all intelligent people, all extremely well-read and knowledgeable. 

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket, and she stopped looking through emails to check whatever the notification was for. 

_ Hey. This is Heechul. I just wanted to say I had fun going out with you and Momo.  _

She had almost forgotten that she had given Heechul her number since, up to that point, they had really only talked over email. But she was glad to hear from him, even if Sana was wary of the man because of Nayeon. She didn’t trust Nayeon’s ability to judge someone’s character in the least. Otherwise, she’d try to be a better person herself. 

She made a contact for him now that she knew his number, but her finger slipped once she was finished and hit the call button. She considered immediately hanging up but thought that would come off rude and hesitantly lifted her phone up to her ear. 

He picked up on the third ring, and she could hear someone loudly typing in the background. “Hello? This is Y/N, right?” he asked, voice sounding far away. She figured he must have put her on speaker phone and was the one almost violently tapping the keys on his computer. 

“Yeah it’s me,” she replied, standing up and pacing the length of the room aimlessly a couple times before she realized what she was doing and sat down again. “I enjoyed it too. And I missed hearing your voice.” She wasn’t sure if that was the truth or a lie, but she needed some excuse for having called him. 

Sana came out of the bathroom in her pajamas and with a towel wrapped around her hair and cocked her head to the side when she saw Y/N on the phone. Y/N mouthed at her to be quiet, and she obeyed, silently going to her bed to lay down. This time, her face wasn’t stuffed in a pillow, so Y/N figured the shower must have helped at least a little bit. 

“Really?” Heechul asked. There was some commotion on the other end, but, a moment later, he was back and closer to the microphone, so she knew he’d taken her off of speaker phone. “That kinda reminds me of something I meant to ask you.”

“Ask away,” Y/N said, only half paying attention as she scrolled through more emails with the hand not holding her phone. 

“Would you like to go out some time?” Heechul asked, and Y/N furrowed her eyebrows. 

“Didn’t we just do that? Do you mean would I like to do it again? Because of course,” she said, and Sana came over to sit down across from her, looking just as confused as Y/N felt. 

“No. I mean, yes. We did do that. But I thought we could do it by ourselves,” Heechul replied. He paused for a moment before adding, “As like a date.”

Y/N raised both eyebrows and chewed on her lower lip, suddenly nervous. She didn’t know what else to say besides, “I don’t think we should.”

“Why?” Heechul asked, and she heard a chair screech against his floor as he seemingly stood up. “Is it because of Nayeon? Because we’re over- we’ve  _ been  _ over, and anything bad she’s said about me is just to turn people against me.”

“It’s not because of Nayeon,” Y/N assured him. She curled a strand of hair around her finger nervously before lowering her hand into her lap and clenching it tight enough her knuckles went white. “I just.. don’t feel the same way.” 

“Oh,” he said, and she immediately felt terrible. 

“It’s not that there’s anything wrong with you! I just… don’t fall for people that easily,” she said. Her nails dug into her palm, and she only stopped chewing on her lip to start chewing the inside of her cheek. 

Sana mouthed,  _ Who is this?  _ And Y/N pretended like she didn’t understand because she knew Sana didn’t like him. 

“It’s okay,” Heechul replied, and his voice was far away again, but he didn’t resume typing or anything. “I get it.”

“I’m really sorry,” Y/N told him, although she mostly felt uncomfortable. She didn’t like that he was looking to start a relationship when he was still in the process of getting a divorce, and she was more so attracted to women than anything else. 

“Don’t be. It’s okay,” he said, and she chose to believe him, despite the regret in his voice. “But can I ask you one question?”

“Of course,” Y/N said, and she unfurled her free hand to use it to hold her head up and drum her fingers against her cheek. 

“Has Nayeon spoken to you about me before?” he asked. Y/N paused, trying to remember any time she had even muttered his name but came up blank.

“I don’t think so. At least not that I remember,” she told him honestly. 

“It’s just… I assume she has your number too,” he said, and she opened her mouth to correct him when he said, “and I know she’s... quite the partier. It’s why I want to get full custody of Yun, but that’s not the point.” He sighed and clarified, “I just know how she is when she’s drunk. She says a lot of stuff she isn’t supposed to- a lot of stuff that isn’t even real.” 

Y/N was quiet, remembering the last time- the only time really- that she had seen Nayeon drunk. She hadn’t seemed too interested in spreading lies, unless the fact that she wanted to dance with her was one. She felt her chest get tight at the thought of that all being some big lie, and she didn’t know why- because she was the one who had told her she couldn’t dance with her in the first place. 

“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” she said finally, glancing back at her computer and remembering all of the emails she had left to answer. That should have been her primary focus, not Nayeon’s drunk tendencies. “Although I can’t see her coming to the library drunk.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Heechul told her, and she started chewing on her lip again, thinking about poor Yun who had to live with someone like that. “Anyway, I have some work I have to get done, so I’ll leave you alone,” he added as if he had been the one to call her and not the other way around. 

But she nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see it, and said, “Same here. I’ll talk to you again sometime soon. Okay?” 

“Okay,” he replied, and, a moment later, he had hung up. 

Sana, who had started aimlessly channel surfing, sat up in her bed and asked, “So what was that about?”

“It was just Heechul checking in,” Y/N told her, and Sana predictably wrinkled her nose in distaste. “He’s really not that bad.”

“I just have a bad feeling about him,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and flopping back down onto her pillow. “He had to have done something really bad to get Nayeon to hate him so much.”

“We’re not exactly Nayeon’s favorite people either,” Y/N pointed out, and Sana opened her mouth to argue with her, but nothing came out. She flipped over onto her stomach and stuffed her head in her pillow in defeat. “Whatever. Don’t trust me. But don’t come crying back to me when you regret being so friendly with him.” She pulled on her blanket, so it covered up to her chin and said, “I need to sleep if I’m going to be interviewing people on the red carpet, so please try to be quiet with your typing.” 

Y/N decided she was done for the night and just shut her laptop entirely instead. She turned the light switch off, and the only light came from outside where people were still enjoying the pool. Luckily, it was enough to find her way into bed where she curled up into a ball and fell asleep within a few minutes.

Y/N made sure to turn on the AMA’s the following day, waiting for Sana to appear on screen. It didn’t take long, despite this being her first time at an event of this caliber. Y/N tried to pay attention, hoping, if she focused on sending positive vibes her way, the night would go smoothly. And it did seem to be going without a hitch until she heard her call out, “Nayeon! Dahyun! Myung-Soo!” 

Y/N looked up, and she was ushering the trio her way while they looked somewhere off screen, probably at a manager or something, before reluctantly walking over. Dahyun smiled at her, but the other two wouldn’t even pretend they were happy to see her for the camera. 

“So, Myung-Soo,” Sana said, and he merely raised an eyebrow at her. “Your fans have been speculating that you’re going to be working with some pretty big names on your next music video based on your rather cryptic instagram captions. Any word on how that’s going? And what your fans can expect from the song?”

“No comment,” Myung-Soo replied, and Sana’s smile faltered before she turned to Dahyun. 

“People are also convinced that you’re going to be a part of this single or at least the music video. Care to set the record straight?” she asked.

Dahyun opened her mouth to respond when Nayeon put a hand on her shoulder and nudged her out of the way. “I think we’re done here,” she said. 

“It was nice seeing you!” Dahyun quickly interjected before she was pushed away by Nayeon and her brother. Their managers followed close behind them but didn’t seem to be in any real rush- meaning Myung-Soo and Nayeon had purposely sabotaged her interview. It lit a fire in Y/N’s stomach as she watched her friend smile at the camera as if nothing had even happened. She wasn’t in the position to complain about how these celebrities acted, even if they were horrible to her. 

She was so enraged by the audacity of Myung-Soo and Nayeon that she almost missed it when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, hands shaking slightly she was so angry, and reading the text she had received hardly made things any better. 

Momo had written,  _ Heechul asked me to choreograph his latest music video!  _ And Y/N recalled what he had asked her just the night before. Momo had been right after all that he was interested in Y/N, but she didn’t think she could tell her- she didn’t think she’d be at all happy to be right. 

So she tried to focus on the positive. This was an amazing opportunity for Momo, although one that would likely take her away from work for a short period of time.  _ How much time do you need off? _ she asked, almost forgetting to congratulate her.  _ That’s amazing,  _ she quickly added, hoping Momo wouldn’t pick up on anything being wrong with her- there were so many things she should tell her but just couldn’t. 

_ I have to be there tomorrow, so I already booked a flight. I guess I should have asked you first,  _ Momo said, but that was the least of Y/N’s worries at the moment.  _ Heechul said I probably only have to stick around for a week _ .

Y/N worried about what state the library would be in if both she and Momo were both away, even for such a short period of time. But she wasn’t going to argue with her, not when she really just wanted her friends to be happy. And it wasn’t like they didn’t have other staff members. She just wasn’t as close to any of them as she was to Momo. 

_ That’ll be fine _ , she replied, even without looking at her computer to see if it was. She was sure she could move some things around if need be. 

She looked up at the TV screen to see that the red carpet interviews were already over, and the real show was starting. She immediately turned the TV off. She wanted to distract herself from what those two had done to humiliate her best friend. Watching them perform was the last thing she wanted. 

She sent a quick message to Sana, asking if she was okay, but she didn’t get a response, and she didn’t know if that meant she still had work left to do, perhaps interviewing people backstage or something, or if she didn’t want to talk about it. There was a hefty weight on her chest as she got ready for bed- what she really needed was a good night’s sleep where she wouldn’t have to think or feel everything on her mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***IMPORTANT: I’ve been feeling kinda bad about writing this story. I just feel like it isn’t anywhere near my best work, and I might feel better if I move onto another project instead. I’m willing to finish this story if people really do like it, but I have another idea that I think would be more interesting for me to write and you to read. It might not start up for awhile because I have to develop it more, but I just thought I’d let you guys know my thoughts in case this is the end of this story for now.


	8. Author's Note

*****IMPORTANT: Okay. I know I left this note at the bottom of the last chapter, but no one responded to it, so I'm making it a separate author's note.**

**I’ve been feeling kinda bad about writing this story. I just feel like it isn’t anywhere near my best work, and I might feel better if I move onto another project instead. I’m willing to finish this story if people really do like it, but I have another idea that I think would be more interesting for me to write and you to read. It might not start up for awhile because I have to develop it more, but I just thought I’d let you guys know my thoughts in case this is the end of this story for now.**

**Please- if you still enjoy this story, let me know. Because, if no one responds, I don't feel like it's worth it, and I'm just gonna end it here.**


	9. Author's Note: Part II

So I’ve thought long and hard about what to do with this story. Thank you for all of your feedback and kind words, whether you’re reading this on wattpad or Ao3. It means a lot to me, but the fact is that this story has become a chore to write rather than something I can find enjoyment in. So something needs to change. And I’ve decided that what I’m going to do is put this story on hiatus. I don’t know for how long. I’m going to wait until the spark of passion for this story comes back, which may be a few weeks, or it may be a few months. But I feel like I need to do this, and I honestly think it will be better for the story in the long run. I have a feeling that, when I start enjoying it again, my writing will only be that much better than it was before. In the meantime, I’m not leaving you guys without content. I just posted the first chapter of another Nayeon x (female) reader story called  _ Burnt Bridges _ , and it would mean a lot if you guys checked that out because I’m really excited to continue writing it. But, if you were here for  _ Thorns Have Roses _ first and foremost, I understand if you don’t feel like checking it out and hope you’ll still understand why I’m taking this hiatus. And I’m almost positive it will just be that: a hiatus. So please be patient with me, and you’ll get to read the end of this story eventually. I have it all plotted out, and I’m not letting all of that work go to waste. But, anyway, that’s pretty much all I have to say. So goodbye for now, unless you choose to read  _ Burnt Bridges _ . I hope that you all stay safe and stay happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I hope you're enjoying this story. It would mean the world if you would leave a comment. <3


End file.
